The Nothing Phone 2 is mostly fine on Verizon — if you’ve got good 5G coverage Photo by Allison Johnson / The VergeSometimes you’ve just gotta break the rules and go for it. I attended Nothing’s New York City product drop last week and got my hands on the Nothing Ear 2s and the Nothing Phone 2. Now, I’m a longtime Verizon customer, which seemed like a major hurdle for actually testing out this phone and its flashing glyphs…

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is getting a musical episode Image: ParamountStar Trek: Strange New Worlds had a pair of surprise announcements at San Diego Comic-Con today. First, the show is stepping out of its weekly release schedule with a new episode tonight — a crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks will debut on Paramount Plus in a few minutes, at 7PM ET, Deadline reports. And that’s not all — the s…

Paramount Plus dropped its big Star Trek crossover episode early, and its a delight This photo is technically a spoiler, but it was released months ago by the studio, so is it actually a spoiler? | Photo by Michael Gibson / Paramount PlusThere might not be any actors or big casting announcements at San Diego Comic-Con this year, but Paramount Plus did find one way to surprise fans. It’s dropping the next episode of Star Trek: S…

Blizzard devs know their Diablo IV patch was bad A Campfire Chat about Diablo IV’s 1.1.0 update. | Screenshot: Wes Davis / The VergeThree directors working on Diablo IV held a campfire chat livestream yesterday saying they will change how they roll out patches, after an incremental verison 1.1.0 patch for the game abruptly nerfed players’ builds (via IGN). And they promise updates like that wo…

A Google Workspace update makes alt text easier to add Image: GoogleAdding alt text to an image in a Google Workspace project is getting much easier after an update included the accessibility improvement. Until recently, adding alt text to images was hidden behind a right-click menu. Now, the option will show up in the “Image options” sidebar — not only that, but the option now comes with an explana…

The Sony Project Q handheld is running Android in a leaked video Leaked image of the PlayStation Q. | Leaked image via ImgurAt least one of our questions about the Sony Project Q handheld game-streaming device has seemingly been answered by a new leaked video posted by Zuby_Tech on Twitter (via Reddit / Imgur). In it, a basic version of Android OS running on a plastic-wrapped device shows a simple menu system…

Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone is an instant classic, no cult required John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx in They Cloned Tyrone. | Image: Parrish Lewis / NetflixDirector Juel Taylor’s debut feature is a slick and stylish celebration of the Blaxploitation genre and the Black culture that gave birth to it. Continue reading…

Save $50 on the wireless earbuds with the hands-down best noise cancellation The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II have yet to be beat in the ANC department. | Image: Chris Welch / The VergeThe Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, the noise-canceling champs of the wireless earbud world, are once again on sale for $249 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Alternatively, you can pick up a refurbished pair from Bose for an additional $50 …

What would the internet of people look like now? Do you ever wonder what the internet would be like if we let Big Tech burn? | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeGet in, loser, we’re going back to Web 1.0. We have the opportunity to get out from under the algorithms. So maybe it’s time to think about what a web of people looks like now. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now — t…

How to use external storage on your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X / S Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergeAs your console game collection grows, you’re going to need more space to store it — and the internal storage inside your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X / S isn’t going to last forever. That may leave you in a situation where you’re regularly uninstalling and reinstalling games, juggling them around to fit…

SDCC 2023: all the biggest announcements from the convention San Diego Comic-Con 2023 | Image: San Diego Comic ConventionSan Diego Comic-Con is one of the biggest comics conventions of the year, though it’s quieter than usual as Hollywood strikes continue. Continue reading…

One of the best puzzle RPGs gets another chance Image: DotemuThe team over at Capy Games has a real knack for inventive takes on seemingly simple puzzle games. I first realized this when playing the colorful Critter Crunch way back in 2009, and nowadays, I’m reminded of it whenever I squeeze in a few rounds of Grindstone on my phone. Tucked away in between those two releases was Might & Magic…

My first MP3 player had everything I needed The iRiver iHP-120 multi-codec jukebox. Nineteen years old and still going. The iRiver iHP-120 was a gadget nerd’s MP3 player. It had a wired remote, a radio, a voice recorder, two optical ports, and loads of physical buttons. I’ve had it for half my life. Continue reading…

Time is running out on the Climate Clock The Climate Clock in New York City’s Union Square in early July 2023. | Image: Climate ClockAn ominous, 62-foot-long clock looms over New York City’s iconic Union Square, and it’s about to tick past a worrying milestone. It’s called the Climate Clock, and it counts down how much time the world has left to stop climate change from becoming expone…

Elon Musk’s best idea for stopping spambots is making you pay for extra Twitter DMs Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty ImagesTwitter will “soon” implement daily limits on the number of direct messages unverified accounts will be able to send in “an effort to reduce spam,” the company announced on Friday via its Twitter Support account. In other words, to send unlimited DMs, you’ll need to pay for a Twitter Blue s…

ChatGPT for Android launches next week Illustration: The VergeSince launching in November, OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool has reached a number of users at a rate that’s astounding for anything outside of Threads — now the company says it’s ready to release an app for Android. The ChatGPT for Android app is launching a few months after the free iOS app brought the chatbot to iPhones and iPads…

Spotify’s first US price hike for Premium is coming next week Image: Nick Barclay / The VergeSpotify is going to raise the price of its Premium subscription plan in the US, according to The Wall Street Journal. The price is “likely” to go up by $1, meaning it would cost $10.99 per month, and the change is “expected” to be revealed next week, the publication says. The price of Premium has remained $9.99 per…

Meta, Google, and OpenAI reveal their safety plans following White House summit Photo by Kevin Dietsch / Getty ImagesSeven of AI’s top companies attended a White House summit Friday, reaching a deal with the Biden administration to roll out new guardrails to enhance the safety and security of their systems and users, like watermarking AI-generated content. “These commitments are real, and they are concrete,” President Joe …

T-Mobile’s charging an extra $5 plus tax for paying your phone bill in-store Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeT-Mobile has started charging customers who pay phone bills in-store a new $5 “Payment Support Charge,” plus tax. According to The Mobile Report, the new fee went into effect on July 19th, though prepaid customers will be charged the fee later on. In a flier shared with The Mobile Report announcing the chan…

Disney’s new vision for ESPN might include part ownership by the NBA, NFL Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeDisney wants to transition ESPN from linear TV to streaming — and the NBA and NFL might be the partners that help the company do that. According to CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger and ESPN leader Jimmy Pitaro held talks with both leagues about bringing them on as minority investors in the sports network. Sources …